'Sweet' four-year-old boy fatally struck by Amazon delivery vehicle as heartbroken family mourns loss

Published: 05:10, 8 May 2026 | Updated: 05:19, 8 May 2026 A 'sweet' four-year-old boy tragically died after he was mowed down by an Amazon delivery truck in Missouri. Tadens Joseph was playing outside his home in his quiet neighborhood when he was fatally struck in an alleged hit-and-run on May 4, Kansas City Police said.  The delivery van had just finished dropping off a package and was driving toward Woodland Avenue when the boy wandered into the road, the Kansas City Star reported.  He was hit by the vehicle and suffered severe injuries, and later died.  'Sweet baby,' his grief-stricken mother, Tanael, told the Kansas City Star, of her son. 'I loved [him]. My life.' After briefly stopping, the Amazon van fled the scene, prompting the boy’s grief-stricken mother to chase after it, police said. Tanael told the outlet that she ran after the truck, and when it came to a stop, she clung to the driver. The mother said she shook the female driver - who has not been identified - telling her that she had killed her little boy.  Tadens Joseph was playing outside his home in his quiet neighborhood when he was fatally struck in an alleged hit-and-run The delivery truck had just finished dropping off a package and was driving toward Woodland Avenue when the boy wandered into the road The truck driver has been named a 'subject of interest' and was taken into custody. She denied involvement in the collision and has since been released as of Wednesday, according to police. 'After conferral with prosecutors, she has been released pending further investigation,' the police said in a statement to PEOPLE. A police spokesperson said investigators will continue gathering evidence for prosecutors, who will ultimately decide whether to bring charges against the driver.  'These are complex investigations and many times can take several weeks to complete,' Capt Jacob Becchina told the Kansas City Star. 'It is important to get all of the evidence compiled to present a comprehensive picture of the events.' In a statement, Amazon expressed their 'deepest sympathies' for the four-year-old's family. 'We'll cooperate fully with the Kansas City Police Department in their active investigation and defer to them for additional details,' the company said. They added that delivery drivers are not employed by Amazon, but instead work for third-party companies.  Police confirmed that the independent delivery service company is cooperative in the investigation.  An employee at the boy's school recalled the four-year-old as 'refreshing little kid' who always smiled Tadens is remembered as a 'carefree' boy who loved school, Spider-Man, and pizza Tadens is remembered as a 'carefree' boy who loved school, Spider-Man, and pizza, the family told FOX10. An employee at the boy's school recalled the four-year-old as a 'refreshing little kid' who always smiled. 'The child was at school yesterday,' the school employee said to the Kansas City Star. 'He was there yesterday. He’s the only one that’s missing from the classroom today,' she said. 'What do you tell three, four, and five year-olds, that he’s not ever coming back? They’re inquisitive, they’re going to want to know why.' 'Most of our children that don’t come back to school, we’re able to say why. They moved away; their mom wants them at home. But what can you say?' she told the outlet. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.